The new year is upon us, and with it come the new year’s resolutions that we have the best intentions of keeping (but, admittedly, typically fall by the wayside come February).

This year, though, I suggest we all try a different tactic – a set of resolutions that foster health, wellness, a sense of adventure and fun … in short, a set of resolutions specifically for travel.

And there’s no time that we’ve needed to travel more: Bloomberg News reported earlier this year that the average American leaves 8.1 vacation days unused annually. It’s affecting our health, our productivity, and our sense of well-being. (And frankly, it’s not much of a life, either.) So I say we change this tactic in 2015 and resolve to use all our vacation days—and use them to see more of this gorgeous and awe-inspiring planet we call home.

Indeed, I’m hard pressed to think of another set of resolutions that would be as rewarding to keep, or a set of goals that would have as much anticipation toward completion – quite the opposite of the typical new year’s resolutions.

Here are my five new year’s resolutions for travel in 2015; I heartily invite you to make them yours, too.

Travel New Year’s Resolution #1: Leave Your Comfort Zone

I’ve always been curious about travel to Asia, but always changed course when it finally came time to plan a trip. Three key excuses—the language barrier, the long flights, and the costs—deterred me in the past, but not so for 2015: I’m hoping to have a grand Asia adventure this year, and am taking old friends along for the ride as well. I’m excited and fully expect an exhilarating, eye-opening experience. So where’s your destination that’s always been just out of reach? What could you do there this year, if you didn’t let your sense of comfort and familiarity dictate your choices? Plan a trip to wherever the heart-pumping, I-hope-to-go-there-someday destination is for you. It’s a new year, a fresh start: Now really is the time.

Travel New Year’s Resolution #2: Make—and Stick to—a Realistic Budget

Of course, even with a lofty travel resolution, there are the very real issues of expenses. That’s why the new year is a perfect time to start budgeting. Determine the cost of your trip well before your departure—everything from transportation to in-country daily expenses—and start prepping now so you don’t have sticker shock later. Research flights, hotels, and other travel costs in advance. For spending money once you’re on vacation, take the long view approach, too: Months beforehand, set aside a portion of your paycheck, enroll in a vacation club savings plan at your local bank, compile all your loose change and your $1 or $5 bills each week—whatever it takes to make your travel goal happen.

Travel New Year’s Resolution #3: Commit to Unplugging While Away

Remember that stat about Americans not using their vacation time? Well, in another depressing statistic, a TripAdvisor survey showed that when we do take trips, 77 percent of us still check in with the office. This stems from the “work martyr complex”, according to the U.S. Travel Association, and can contribute to excess burnout and guilt – exactly the opposite of the benefits one gets from getting away from work on vacation (rest, relaxation, and recharging in a stress-free environment). So when you’re planning your 2015 trips, resolve to really get away – no checking work email, no texting with your colleagues during your time off. If you’re concerned this may be frowned upon, start communications with your supervisors and colleagues early and reinforce that you will not be available during your vacation time. Be clear, consistent, and transparent – and if you get push back, show them the data.

Travel Resolution #4: Support the Local Economy Wherever You Go

A great benefit of travel is seeing what’s local all around the world. Whether you choose small inns and pensiones, mom-and-pop restaurants, handmade goods from local markets, and/or local tour guides, your tourism dollars go toward directly supporting the economy of the region you’re visiting. You’ll also learn a lot about local customs, traditions, and culture, too. So resolve to go local on your 2015 travels and see how much your horizons expand—and how far your dollars truly can go.

Travel Resolution #5: Choose the Right Travel Companions

As I’ve discussed earlier, nothing kills a trip quicker than realizing you and your travel companions have completely different expectations for your overall vacation. By choosing the right group of people to accompany you—those aligned with you in temperament, interests, and budget—and communicating with them clearly and often, you’ll avoid any misunderstandings and ensure everyone makes the most of their precious vacation time. Resolve to find your best travel companions to join you on your 2015 travel adventures, then hit the road or take to the skies!

Where are you hoping to go in 2015? Share your own unique travel resolutions by leaving a comment below!

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Photo courtesy Kat via Flickr Creative Commons

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A tour along the West Coast to talk about fashion and sustainability.

It always comes back to wanderlust. Curiousity. A need to see and experience and learn.

A few weeks ago, we packed up our 1993 Chevy conversion van (lovingly named Zooey) and headed west. With several states and a big mission ahead of us, we thought about how we ended up here – driving a bright blue, decal-laden van from Missouri to the West Coast, in hopes of sparking conversations about fashion, consumption, and the environment.

In the last two years, we’ve started a company, designed a 100% recycled garment, raised over $64,000 on Kickstarter, and are gearing up for our biggest adventure yet:

A “sustainable fashion tour” of the Pacific Northwest.

The mission? To spark conversation about where our clothes come from. To encourage thought about where our money goes, who makes the products we buy, and how we can make them better. To change the way we shop, in order to change the ecological and humanitarian status of the planet.

Fashion is not pretty. It takes 4,310 chemicals to make the shirt you’re wearing. And one of the fastest ways to change the world is to make more conscious purchases. That means asking the tough questions of the companies you buy from and thinking deeper about how much you truly need. The state of our world depends on it.

We don’t have all of the answers, but we’re on a journey to find them. From Seattle to San Francisco, we’ll be talking to people on the streets, opening a mobile “pop-up shop,” hosting events and meetups, and interviewing some of the most exciting front-runners in sustainable fashion.

Simply put, we’re starting a movement. A movement to spark conversations between corporations and consumers, and to get people talking to each other. It’s going to be an adventure. And for it to be a success, we need you to come along.

For the next eight weeks, we’ll be sharing our stories from the road here at EcoSalon – the highs, the lows, the revelations, the setbacks. Along with a filmmaker, Steve Celano and our event coordinator, Alice, we’ll be making our way down the coast in hopes of sparking change in an industry that desperately needs it.

So it all comes back to wanderlust – with a purpose. We hope you’ll share in our need to see, experience, and learn. Until next week, here’s a (super-short!) description of who we are, what we do, and why we’re obsessed with sustainable fashion.

We’re Kristin and Shannon, the founders of {r}evolution apparel – a clothing company focused on sustainable and versatile design. We created the Versalette – one garment that can be worn over 20 different ways — as a dress, skirt, shirt, poncho, purse & more. It’s made in the USA with 100% recycled fabrics. In 2011, we launched the Versalette on Kickstarter and raised over $64,000. Since then, we’ve been featured in Forbes, Gadling, and the New York Times. To learn more about our mission, check out our website, Facebook, Twitter, and watch this video about why we do what we do.

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The Waterhouse hotel in Shanghai is an industrial gem, salvaged from the spoils of war. The four-story hotel was built from a three-story Japanese Army headquarters from the 1930s. The Chinese architecture firm NHDRO (Neri & Hu Design and Research Office) made a series of perfect decisions to arrive at the gorgeous boutique hotel. Existing raw concrete and exposed brick were preserved, and new steel additions draw on the industrial skeleton for relevance.

Modern architecture combines seamlessly with old industrial components to capitalize on the location – a rooftop terrace offers adjacency and intimacy with the Huangpu River and offers gorgeous views of the glamorous Pudong skyline.

A unique relationship between spatial divisions exists at The Waterhouse. This quote from NHDRO explains, “The interior strategy is expressed through a blurring and inversion of the inside/outside as well as public/private, creating a disorienting yet refreshing spatial experience for the hotel guest who longs for the extraordinary.”

(Beautiful photography by Pedro Pegenaute.)

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